Updated April 2026

Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support >96 Hours in Massachusetts

42 Massachusetts hospitals report Medicare totals for this DRG, averaging $68,254 (above the $53,417 national mean), with a 3× spread from $37,934 to $95,769. 0 carry an A grade, 4 carry an F.

The Respiratory procedure Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support >96 Hours carries DRG code 208 in the CMS classification system. 2,717 hospitals in Massachusetts report payment data, averaging $53,417 per procedure — median $51,850, ranging from $15,600 to $118,257. The $15,600-to-$118,257 payment range is wide: the same DRG code can attract very different reimbursements across hospitals, reflecting differences in cost structure, patient complexity within the DRG, and regional pricing dynamics. The Medicare DRG system bundles cases by diagnosis-and-procedure groupings, so payment differences within a single DRG mostly track hospital-specific factors rather than case-mix.

Within Massachusetts, the 2,717 hospitals reporting this procedure span the full range of ownership types and hospital sizes. The state-specific average ($53,417) is shaped by which hospitals in the state see enough volume to report the DRG code at all. For patients with elective scheduling on Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support >96 Hours, the cost-comparison logic is straightforward: the per-procedure payment range is meaningfully wide, so the hospital chosen affects total cost. For patients in an emergency, the choice is functionally fixed — but the listed prices still matter for insurance-coverage and out-of-pocket planning.

About This Procedure

Respiratory DRGs include pneumonia, COPD, ventilator-supported respiratory failure, and chronic lung disease. Length of stay drives most of the cost spread, especially for ventilator cases that cross the 96-hour threshold.

Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support >96 Hours is Medicare DRG 208 in the Respiratory category. National Medicare average for this DRG is $53,417 across 2,717 reporting hospitals. The state-level view here filters that universe down to Massachusetts only.

Cost Picture in Massachusetts

Massachusetts's average for this DRG sits above the national Medicare mean. State-level differences are explained primarily by the regional Medicare wage index — the multiplier CMS applies to standardize DRG payments to local labor costs — alongside hospital case mix and the concentration of academic referral centers in the state's larger metros.

Within the state, the 3× spread between the lowest- and highest-reporting facility usually reflects length-of-stay differences, complication adjustments for sicker patients, teaching-status add-ons, and outlier payments for unusually long stays. Two hospitals reporting the same DRG can post meaningfully different totals without anything “wrong” happening at either site. For non-Medicare patients, the more relevant figure is the negotiated commercial rate published in each hospital's machine-readable file under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule.

Quality Alongside Price

For a planned admission, the most useful complement to the cost view is the hospital-specific quality data on CMS Care Compare. The site publishes risk-adjusted measures of mortality, readmission, complication, infection, and patient experience for every Medicare-participating hospital. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Indicators feed many of these CMS measures.

For complex procedures, hospital-level case volume correlates with outcomes in published research, even after risk adjustment. CMS publishes case counts on Care Compare alongside outcome measures.

Hospitals in Massachusetts Reporting Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support >96 Hours

Sorted lowest to highest Medicare total payment. Pricing is informational and should be considered alongside CMS quality measures.

#	Hospital	City	Payment	Quality	Grade
1	Fairview Hospital Great Barrington	Great Barrington	$37,934	★★★☆☆	C
2	Cape Cod & Islands Community Mental Health Center Pocasset	Pocasset	$38,868	Not Rated	C
3	Cooley Dickinson Hospital Inc,the Northampton	Northampton	$44,994	★★★☆☆	C
4	Franciscan Children's Hospital & Rehab Center Brighton	Brighton	$47,008	Not Rated	D
5	Miravista Behavioral Health Center Holyoke	Holyoke	$51,802	Not Rated	D
6	Milford Regional Medical Center Milford	Milford	$51,803	★★★☆☆	C
7	Good Samaritan Medical Center Brockton	Brockton	$53,914	★☆☆☆☆	F
8	Lawrence General Hospital Lawrence	Lawrence	$53,943	★★★☆☆	C
9	North Adams Regional Hospital Corporation North Adams	North Adams	$56,337	Not Rated	D
10	Martha's Vineyard Hospital Inc Oak Bluffs	Oak Bluffs	$56,976	★★★★☆	C
11	Umass Memorial Health - Harrington Hospital Southbridge	Southbridge	$57,787	★★☆☆☆	D
12	Adcare Hospital Of Worcester Inc Worcester	Worcester	$58,826	Not Rated	C
13	Massachusetts General Hospital Boston	Boston	$58,985	★★★★★	B
14	Dr Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center Boston	Boston	$62,286	Not Rated	F
15	South Shore Hospital South Weymouth	South Weymouth	$62,474	★★★☆☆	C
16	Heywood Hospital - Gardner	Gardner	$64,110	★★★☆☆	C
17	Taunton State Hospital Taunton	Taunton	$66,102	Not Rated	D
18	Hospital For Behavioral Medicine Worcester	Worcester	$68,066	Not Rated	D
19	Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge	Cambridge	$69,269	★★★★☆	D
20	Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Plymouth Plymouth	Plymouth	$69,486	★★★★☆	C
21	Baystate Franklin Medical Center Greenfield	Greenfield	$70,972	★★★★☆	C
22	Mclean Hospital Corporation Belmont	Belmont	$71,947	Not Rated	D
23	Saint Anne's Hospital Fall River	Fall River	$72,054	★★★☆☆	D
24	Taravista Behavioral Health Center Devens	Devens	$72,279	Not Rated	D
25	Nashoba Valley Medical Center Ayer	Ayer	$72,387	Not Rated	D
26	Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton	Brockton	$72,833	★★★★☆	C
27	Dr John C Corrigan Mental Health Center Fall River	Fall River	$73,344	Not Rated	C
28	The Shriners' Hospital For Children - Boston Boston	Boston	$73,404	Not Rated	D
29	St Vincent Hospital Worcester	Worcester	$73,987	★★☆☆☆	F
30	Walden Behavioral Care, Llc Dedham	Dedham	$74,695	Not Rated	C
31	Valley Springs Behavioral Health Hospital Holyoke	Holyoke	$74,754	Not Rated	D
32	North Shore Medical Center - Salem	Salem	$76,156	★★★★☆	C
33	Cape Cod Hospital Hyannis	Hyannis	$78,765	★★★☆☆	D
34	Baystate Noble Hospital Westfield	Westfield	$79,131	★★☆☆☆	F
35	Anna Jaques Hospital Newburyport	Newburyport	$80,171	★★★☆☆	D
36	Metrowest Medical Center Framingham	Framingham	$82,482	★☆☆☆☆	D
37	Brown University Health Morton Hospital Taunton	Taunton	$83,477	★★☆☆☆	D
38	Bournewood Hospital Brookline	Brookline	$83,829	Not Rated	D
39	Arbour-Fuller Hospital South Attleboro	South Attleboro	$90,181	Not Rated	D
40	Falmouth Hospital Falmouth	Falmouth	$91,375	★★★★☆	C
41	Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham Needham	Needham	$91,690	★★★★☆	C
42	Westwood Pembroke Health Systems Westwood	Westwood	$95,769	Not Rated	D

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does respiratory system diagnosis with ventilator support >96 hours cost in Massachusetts?

Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support >96 Hours (DRG 208) averages $68,254 in total Medicare payment across 42 Massachusetts hospitals reporting this code. Within the state, payments span $37,934 to $95,769 — about 3× from cheapest to most expensive.

Is Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support >96 Hours more or less expensive in Massachusetts than nationally?

Massachusetts's state-level average of $68,254 sits above the national Medicare average of $53,417 for this DRG. State differences are driven primarily by the regional Medicare wage index, case mix, and the share of high-acuity referral hospitals.

Why is the spread between hospitals so wide?

Variation within a state runs 3× because the same DRG can come with different lengths of stay, complication adjustments, teaching-status add-ons, and outlier payments. The CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule publishes machine-readable rate files that allow direct comparisons against negotiated commercial rates, which often differ from Medicare totals.

Are these the prices a privately insured patient would pay?

No. Figures here are Medicare DRG payments. Privately insured patients are billed under their plan's negotiated network rate, published in each hospital's price-transparency file. Uninsured patients should ask the hospital for the cash-pay rate, also disclosed under federal price-transparency rules.

Should I choose a hospital based only on price?

No. HospitalCostData is informational. Surgeon experience, hospital volume for the procedure, complication rates, and your specific clinical situation matter at least as much as price. Always discuss options with your physician and review CMS Care Compare quality data alongside any pricing benchmark.

See the methodology page for DRG sourcing and Medicare wage-index context.

Sources & Citations

CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospital Payments (IPPS). DRG-level average covered charges, total payments, and Medicare payments per facility. data.cms.gov
CMS Hospital Compare (Care Compare). Star ratings, mortality, readmission, safety-of-care, and patient-experience measures. medicare.gov/care-compare
CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule. Standard charge files required from every Medicare-participating hospital. cms.gov/hospital-price-transparency
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). National benchmarks, quality indicators, and clinical context for hospital outcome measures. ahrq.gov

Dataset last refreshed: April 2026. Underlying CMS files are public domain. Suggested citation: “HospitalCostData, hospitalcostdata.com, accessed May 24, 2026.”

This page is informational only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. Care decisions should be made with a licensed physician.

Source: CMS Hospital Price Transparency, 2026.